Food banks face tough times through holidays

Food banks all over the United States are suffering just at the time when they need the most donations with the holiday season coming up.

The economic downturn across the country, the fear concerning the stock market and jobs either having been lost or being lost all have led to a reduction in donations to vital food programs across America.

In the local area food banks often rely on local donations, in conjunction with food supplied from the Utah Food Bank to get through the holidays. A trip to the Carbon County food bank can tell one the whole story; plainly the center needs more food.

"We just had a food drive and the shelves over here look pretty good," said Jackie Butkovich director of the food bank as she pointed to the west side of the food bank warehouse. "But over here things are pretty scarce."

The east side of the warehouse was full of empty boxes as the leadership of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary posed for a photo with Butkovich as they presented her a check for $300.

"I will be getting turkeys for the holidays from the Utah Food Bank, but I don't know how many we will get. This money will help us to purchase more if we don't get enough."

Butkovich was most concerned a couple of weeks ago when the food bank ran out of soup.

"That's what we distribute the most of and we need that all the time," she said.

The center will take donations in either non-perishable food or money anytime. The supply on the shelves is backed up by the Utah Food Bank which is a private non-profit that distributes food to over three hundred agencies and programs statewide. Donations to the state bank come from community food drives, fund raisers, corporations and government surplus. Every month 73,000 Utahns benefit from food assistance.

The Carbon County food bank is located at 75 East 400 South in Price and is open in the afternoon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Butkovich can be contacted at 637-9232.